Patriots: James White inactive after father tragically dies in car crash

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: James White #28 of the New England Patriots makes a catch as they take on the Tennessee Titans in the second quarter of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - JANUARY 04: James White #28 of the New England Patriots makes a catch as they take on the Tennessee Titans in the second quarter of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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James White will miss the Patriots’ SNF game after his father died on Sunday.

It’s been a disheartening week for the New England Patriots. First, Bill Belichick’s mother, Jeannette, passed away at the age of 98, and now another member of the team has suffered a loss.

Unfortunately, this one’s much more tragic. Patriots RB James White reportedly lost his father, Tyrone White Sr., on Sunday after his parents were involved in a car crash. His mother is currently in critical condition.

White, as expected, is a last-minute inactive for Sunday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks.

We have no words. Absolutely horrific. Our thoughts go out to White and his family during these unimaginable circumstances.

This has been confirmed by other top NFL reporters.

If you want to know a little more about White’s father, this piece by ESPN’s Ian O’Connor is terrific. Here’s a small snippet from it:

"“Tyrone Sr. coached James’ youth teams in football and baseball. He wanted to make a difference with kids because he recalled a neighborhood man who made a difference with him, a coach who regularly loaded up local athletes in his truck, drove them to the fields and back, and never asked for anything in return but a pledge from these boys that they would do the same for others when they grew up.”"

Further details surrounding the incident are unknown at this point, but White will join Jarrett Stidham, Korey Cunningham, Dalton Keene, Myles Bryant and Josh Uche on the inactive list.

The Patriots will be playing with heavy hearts on Sunday night with the team going through so much over the last week and they’ll have to do it without one of the members who is quite literally the engine for the offense. White has been a constant for New England since the 2015 season and hasn’t missed a beat with Cam Newton taking over for Tom Brady.

The dual-threat running back is one of the most underrated in the game, registering 323 receptions for 2,839 yards and 24 touchdowns in addition to 279 rushes for 1,141 yards and eight touchdowns in 79 career games.

His teammates already got his back in this one too.

But forget football. That’s the last thing on anyone’s mind right now. Send all the positive vibes and energy to White and his family.